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We started the morning at 5am to get some sunrise and early morning shots in the Giants Playground. Half the group stayed back to get cheetah shots from the resident felines, but since I already have cheetah shots, I opted to go to the Giants Playground.

After an 8am breakfast, the bus headed for Luderitz. We arrived at the Bay View Hotel around lunch time and after a quick bite to eat, it was off to Kolmanskuppe, a diamond mining ghost town. A special permit had been arranged allowing us entry to the ghost town outside of regular tourist hours. We literally had a ghost town that we could photograph until after sunset. This ghost town, which at the height of the diamond trade housed a thousand people, was spectacular with all the sand filled buildings.

Dinner was at a local restaurant on the waterfront and we celebrated Daniella’s and Marcel’s birthdays. Back to the hotel and finally some internet access (which is slow in comparison to what we are used to in Canada) to update my blog and read my email. Early to bed as we are leaving at 5:45am to spend Thursday morning shooting at Kolmanskuppe.

Started the day at 4:30am – off to the Quiver Tree Forest. We photographed the trees from before sunrise until around 8:30am, when it was time for breakfast. The soft morning light brings out the golden hue of the trees.

Following breakfast, Marsel critiqued our photographs, which I found to be very informative as he identified many areas for improvement. Everyone has taken some very remarkable photos thus far. It is very interesting to observe how everyone’s perspective differs on the same subject.

After a short rest, we headed into town (Keetmanshoop) for lunch, followed by a lecture on composition. With all this new information, we were off to the Giants Playground to shoot until after sunset. The Giants Playground is basically rocks, in piles and odd forms which goes on for miles. It is difficult to believe all these rocks are naturally placed.

We planned to shoot star trails tonight, so before returning for dinner, our cameras were setup to allow for scene composition while it is still somewhat light. After dinner we returned and captured some wonderful night shots. The night sky is spectacular in Namibia, with very little light pollution. To put it into perspective – think of a night sky in rural Manitoba, then multiply the number of visible stars by 100. We are definitely going to attempt more night shots and stars trails later in the trip.

An early start this morning. We are traveling on a 35 passenger highway coach to Keetmanshoop. The coach will be our primary mode of transportation for the next two weeks and comes equipped with a drink cooler, air conditioning and a rest room. With twelve in our group, we all have ample room to spread out and be comfortable.

Namibia is the second least densely populated country in the world (2.5 inhabitants per square km), with an area of approximately 825 000 square kilometers (or about 25% more area than Manitoba) . I spot hardly any development along the two lane highway we’re traveling. Occasionally I’ll see and animal or two (baboons, horses and sheep so far), but after seven hours it all begins to look the same.

We arrived at the Quiver Tree Forest guesthouse mid afternoon and then drove to the forest to photograph the quiver trees in the warm light of late afternoon and sunset. The results are below. Tomorrow, we’ll return to the forest prior to sunrise – that means up at 4:30am, so I’m off!

Caught the 10:55am flight from Jo’burg to Windhoek – arrived without incident. Prior to boarding, I met four of the other photographers joining the trip (Hayo, Maartje, Kees and Marcel. Note: There is Marsel with an ‘s’, who is leading the group, and Marcel with a ‘c’ who is a participant). Once in Windhoek, Marsel and Daniella met the group at the airport. After a short delay while Hayo and Maartje searched for their missing luggage (it’s since been found), we departed for the GocheGanas Nature Reserve.

The GocheGanas is a wellness lodge, offering a variety of spa treatments. However, I’m not here for the spa, so after a quick lunch, we headed out on a game drive in the reserve. No where near the photo opportunities I got in South Africa (in 2006), but still an excellent start to the trip.

After a wonderful dinner, it was early to bed as breakfast is at 7am, and we’re leaving at 7:30am for Keetmanshoop and the Quiver Tree Forest.

Note: Looks like internet access is going to be somewhat questionable. Two places that should have had access were down. Africa may have internet, but that doesn’t mean it works. Posts will probably be in bursts, the next time I have internet access.

What would seem like an easy task, ended up taking a little longer than expected. After the South Africa Airways flight pulled away from the terminal at JFK, the pilot announced we’re 17th in line to depart and would probably be 45 minutes before we take off – to be expected at JFK. As we were waiting, the cabin crew started running around fussing over a passenger in the next section. A few minutes later a request if there are any doctors on board to identify themselves. Uh-oh, not good.

We returned to the tarmac – to be met by an ambulance, police, and more airport personnel. The passenger was removed from the plane, as well, they retrieved his luggage from the hold. After an hour and a half, we started our journey again, only to be 25th in line to take-off!

Seventeen hours later, after an hour long stop in Dakar (Senegal) to re-fuel and exchange some passengers, we arrived in Jo’burg. It was poring rain, but we made it to the Airport Grand Hotel safe and sound. And now it’s early to bed, as I have no idea what time zone my body is in, but I’m feeling pretty tired. Off to Windhoek, Namibia tomorrow!

Just killin’ time waiting to board the flight to Jo’burg. Everything (including my luggage) has made it this far – hopefully that continues. A bit of a delay in Toronto this morning – had to wait on the tarmac for over an hour before the plan was cleared to take off due to bad weather in New York. Next post will be from the Goche Ganas game reserve – hopefully with some photos!

As the countdown continues, I’m getting excited for my trip to Africa. It’s been 2 years since I last traveled to South Africa (Kruger National Park, Tshukudu Game Reserve and Cape Town). I can’t wait to get on the plane Thursday and start this adventure in Namibia.

I’ve got my camera bag packed, my personal article (airline speak for tote bag / laptop case) and my suitcase ready to go. Amazingly, the suitcase is still under the 50 lbs max. by a lot! It came in around 30 lbs, which is good. The carry-on baggage (ie. my camera backpack) limit is 22 lbs – let’s just say I’ve weighted my camera bag and I’m not telling how much it weights!

This will probably be my last post before I get to Windhoek. It will be a lot a different flights to get there – 4 different planes, 5 take-offs and landings. I fly Winnipeg-Toronto on Thursday, Toronto-New York (LaGuardia) on Friday, transfer to JFK and fly New York-Johannesburg (with a refueling in Dakar), arriving in Jo’burg Saturday evening. The last leg is Sunday morning from Jo’burg to Windhoek. I really hope my luggage makes it without getting delayed – or I will be without a tripod as I can’t take it as carry-on.

Check back starting next weekend and I’ll have a trip updates (with photos!) every couple of days.

That’s right – I’m counting down the days until I leave for Namibia – it’s now less than two weeks! I’m going on a photo trip that will last 2 weeks in Namibia, with a fews days of travel to and from.

The trip is run by Marsel van Oosten, an award winning photographer from the Netherlands. I fly into Windhoek, the capital of Namibia, where our journey starts. I’ll be joined by 2 other Canadians, 1 American, 2 South Africans and 4 Dutchies (not counting Marsel) for a total of 10 participants. It should be a very interesting cultural mix. You can check out Marsel’s site at www.squiver.com

The trip takes us all over Namibia, changing locations every second day or so. We’ll see quiver trees, large sand dunes, visit a ghost town and photograph a seal colony on the west coast. There will be of course be many of interesting locals, but I don’t want to give them away right now. It looks like I will have internet access every couple of days, so I plan to make somewhat regular postings during my trip. Please check back the beginning of May to follow along.

I was quite surprised to find out this past week that my entry into the Nikonians.org Photographer of the Year 2006 Contest, Landscape Category, received Second Place. My photo, titled “Kruger Park Morning”, was taken on my recent trip to South Africa. You can view my entry (and the winner’s entry), by visiting the contests announcement page. Click on my photo to view a larger version. Prints are available by request.

As for the rest of my photos from South Africa, I’m working on it! It just takes time. I’ll be done by the middle of August, as I already have a presentation booked (in other words, I have a deadline!). Low resolution copies will be available in my gallery at that time.

I’m back from my photo trip to Kruger NP, the Tshukudu Game Reserve and a quick stop in Cape Town. I have lots of photos to sort, so in the mean time, check out our Nikonians trip diary for some shots and a quick trip recap. I’ll provide an update to my gallery once I’ve sorted all my photos.